The duel between the top two WNBA guard pairings came to an early end in Indiana. Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell — the top-scoring duos of the league with 40.6 ppg — locked horns Tuesday against the second-best duo in Marina Mabrey and Brittney Sykes (38.6 ppg). But not only did the Fever’s consistency keep the visiting guards from reaching that threshold, it also ended the game on a sad note for the Tempo.
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The expansion team lost 113-91 in the road game, but the worst news came early in the third quarter. And Sophie Cunningham did not forget to send her prayers for the guard.
“We also want to shout out Brittney Sykes,” Cunningham said towards the end of her press conference. “We’re praying for healthy vibes. We don’t really know what happened, but our team is praying for her and wishing her well.”
With 6:47 on the clock and the Fever leading 59-62, Sykes tried to cut into the paint over Lexie Hull as Mabrey moved across to the top of the key to potentially pass the ball inside. However, as soon as Sykes moved, her left ankle gave in, and she fell to the floor. As the whistle blew for a personal foul on Monique Billings, Sykes was seen masking her face with her hand and crying before the team huddled around her for some privacy.
While the team’s medical staff checked Sykes, Tempo head coach Sandy Brondello asked to challenge the no-call on Hull. However, it was a non-contact injury, and the team lost its lone challenge for the regulation. Sykes was ultimately taken to the locker room with the Tempo staff supporting her.
After the game, the guard was seen in the hallway riding a medical scooter with an icebag around her left foot and seemed in good spirits.
Cunningham partly understands Sykes’ pain as she tore her MCL just last year. She has also suffered multiple injuries throughout her Fever stint as well. Sykes, too, has plenty of experience with such injuries.
Sykes has torn her ACL twice during her time at Syracuse, which makes this injury even more concerning. She went through the physical and mental trials of recovery twice. Sykes has powered through and has not suffered any major setbacks in her nine years as a professional. But such injuries can return at any time during a player’s career.
Sykes finished with 11 points, three assists, and two rebounds in 19 minutes. Sandy Brondello knows what the importance of a player like Sykes is for the new team.
#Fever guard Sophie Cunningham ended her presser with a shout out to #Tempo guard Brittney Sykes, who left the game in the third quarter due to a foot injury.
“We’re praying for healthy vibes. We don’t really know what happens, but know our team is praying for her …” pic.twitter.com/vGms7yQ57a
“Obviously, she’s been playing so good for us and doing so much for us at both ends of the floor. When you lose one of your best players, it’s tough,” Brondello said. “But no one’s going to feel pity for us.
“We just have to have a next-player-up mentality. I thought we competed hard, but obviously we had players—our role players—who couldn’t find ways to fill Slim’s shoes. It’s going to be really hard, but we just have to hope that she’s not too injured.”
Brondello is also concerned about the injuries plaguing the entire team, which have kept them from improving their chemistry on the floor. She is yet another name added to the growing injury report for the Tempo. Already, the team is missing Nyara Sabally for the last three games due to a right hamstring injury. Kiki Rice has also missed five games with a left ankle injury. Meanwhile, Julie Allemand left the Tuesday night game due to a bad headache after only playing 11 minutes.
“I mean, this injury bug, this has got to get behind us,” Brondello added. “But in the end, opportunities for everyone else to be evaluated and see what we got. I thought we competed as hard as we could.”
The Tempo was well in the game when Sykes went down. The Fever outscored the visitors 51-32 after Sykes left the floor with almost the entire second half remaining. Next up, the Tempo will continue their three-game road trip in Uncasville as they take on the Connecticut Sun. The Fever will host the Atlanta Fever next.
